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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: jam · clip · kick · rock · wound · bass · season · content

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — a video
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. content — the amount
  6. rock — a stone
  7. bass — the fish
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. rock — music
  11. wound — an injury
  12. season — in sport
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — happy
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bass — low music
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. kick — in football
  19. clip — to cut
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. wound — an injury
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. bass — the instrument

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com